Sighting interlock



A. s. CHAPMAN" swarms INTERLOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed. Dec. 9. i968 United States Patent 3,545,837 SIGHTING INTERLOCK Arthur S. Chapman, Rolling Hills, Califi, assignor to Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 782,303 Int. Cl. G02b 21/24, 23/16 US. Cl. 35083 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND A present form of missile includes a missile launching tube containing a missile, and an optical sight. The sight has a visual section which is directed at the target by manual control of a gunner, and has an infrared device which tracks the missile after it is launched. The missile launching tube must be fairly aligned with the axis of the sighting device so that when the missile is launched it enters the field of view of the infrared tracking portion of the sight. Of course the sight is arranged for both elevational and azimuthal deflection in accordance with the gunners command so that the target can be kept in view. In order to accomplish directing of the launch tube so that the missile when launched moves into view of the infrared device, the launch tube is both azimuthally and elevationally connected to the sight. Such interconnection can either be mechanical or through servo drive. However, such interconnection has previously required that the launch tube remain coupled throughout the missile flight, for any disturbance of the launch tube would necessarily cause disturbance of the sight. Thus, the launching equipment could neither be retracted for safety nor reloaded for a further missile launching until the missile had reached its target.

SUMMARY In order to aid in the understanding of this invention, it can be stated in essentially summary form that it is directed to a sighting interlock. An optical sight is coupled to the mounting of a launching device to direct the launching device prior to the launch of a missile. Disconnect means is provided so that the mounting can be oriented in a direction other than that dictated by the sight, after the missile is launched.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a sighting interlock which provides interlock between a sight and launching device mounting means, and permits disconnection therebetween. It is a further object to provide an interlock between a sight and a launching device mounting means which permits the sight to guide the mounting means prior to and during launch of a missile from a launching device and permits subsequent disconnection therebetween to permit the launching device mounting means to be oriented independently of the sight after missile launch. It is still another object to provide both elevational and azimuthal sighting interconnections between the sight and a launching device to permit the sight to direct the launching device, together with disconnect means so that the launching device may be differently oriented than the sight after launch. It is still another object to provide mechanical interconnection between a sight and launching device, and to provide mechancial disconnection means therefor. It is another object to provide mechanical interlock between the sight and a launching device to provide both azimuthal and elevational direction of the launching device in accordance with sight direction, and to provide a disconnect therebetween so that the launching device can be oriented differently than the sighting device after launch has occurred. It is stillanother object to provide a sighting device which azimuthally and elevationally directs a launching device, and to permit disconnection therebetween so that the launching device can be reloaded or retracted without interferring with the direction of the sighting device. Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portion of the specification, the claims and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a vehicle, particularly a military tank, incorporating the sight and its interlock of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view showing the manner in which the sight and its interlock is incorporated in a vehicle, showing the vehicle in dotted lines and showing the device being sighted in the raised, active position.

FIG. 3 is a section taken generally along the lines 33 of FIG. 2 showing the interlocks in engaged condition.

FIG. 4 is a partial view similar to FIG. 2, showing the sighted device in a position suitable for retraction and with the sighting interlock disengaged.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the sighted device retracted.

DESCRIPTION As is seen in FIG. 1, vehicle 12 on which the sighting interlock 10 of this invention is mounted, is a military tank. As the description proceeds, it becomes clear that while the sighting interlock is particularly useful on a military tank, it is also useful on any type of support for the sighting interlock, because the sighting interlock provides the function of disconnection of the sighted missile launching portion from the sight so that the missile launching portion can be withdrawn and/or loaded during the tracking of a previously launched missile. Accordingly, vehicle 12 only serves as a support for the sight and missile launching structure. Vehicle 12 has an opening 14 therein in the form of a hatch opening through which the missile launching portion 16 can extend when it is in a firing position. Furthermore, vehicle 12 has a sighting opening 18 therein through which the target can be viewed by sight 20.

Sight 20, as is seen in FIG. 2, has an optical sight structure having an eye piece 22 and objective lens 24 through which the target can be optically seen by gunner 26. Gunner 26 manually engages handles 28 and 30 for azimuthal rotation of the sighting axis on azimuth bearing 32. Bearing 32 is mounted upon the vehicle structure to permit azimuthal rotation of sight 20. By motion of handles 28 and 30, gunner 26 accomplishes elevational changes in the line of sight by rotation on shaft 34. If desired, suitable gearing can interconnect handle rotation with rotation of sight 20 about shaft 34 so that the gunner can elevationally follow the target with his optical line of sight by handle rotation. If desired, any conventional manner of image intensification for night use can be employed in the optical sight.

Additionally, sight 20 includes infrared sighting device 36. The sighting device is designed for a missile which can be controlled in flight. The missile has a flare or engine exhaust at its rear end so that it may be tracked in flight. The infrared sighting device 36 follows the missile and 3 corrects its course so that it remains substantially upon the optical line of sight from the point of launch to the target as determined by the gunner in his positioning of sight 20. In order for the missile to fly into the viewing area of infrared device 36, it is necessary that the missile launching portion 16 be aligned fairly accurately with the line of sight of sight 20 at the time of launch.

To accomplish this, missile launching portion 16 is mounted so it follows both the azimuthal and elevational changes in the line of sight as determined by the direction of pointing of sight 20. Connecting rods 38 and 40 are secured to the sight 20 so that their motion indicates azimuthal and elevational motion of the line of sight of sight 20.

Jack screw 42 is rotatably mounted in the bottom of the vehicle, and at its bottom end is arranged to be rotated. The screw may be rotated either by means of a crank, or by powered means, but powered means is preferable. Thus, jack screw 42 is motor driven so that either the gunner 26 or his loader can rotate the jack screw. The upper end of the jack screw is rotatably mounted in bracket 44 which is mounted by a flanged foot against the under side of the roof of the vehicle, or other convenient mounting place.

Driving yoke 46, as is best seen in FIG. 3, is rotatably mounted on the top of jack screw 42 above bracket 44. Links 48 and 50 are pivotally mounted upon driving yoke 46 on a transverse axis which lies through the axis of jack screw 42. Connecting rods 38 and 40 are respectively connected to the upper ends of links 48 and 50 by means of universal joints 52 and 54. Thus, driving yoke 46 rotates upon the axis of jack screw 42 in accordance with azimuthal motion of sight 20, and links 48 and 50 rotate upon their transverse rotatable axis on driving yoke 46 in accordance with elevational motion of sight 20.

Support bracket 56 is threaded on the inside to engage upon the threads on jack screw 42 so that it moves up and down upon the jack screw upon rotation of the jack screw. It is shown in a lowered position in FIG. and in a raised position in FIGS. 2 and 4. This structure thus is a raising means for raising the associated structure from one position to another. Support shaft 58 is secured in support bracket 56 to the rear of jack screw 42 and extends upward. The upper end of support shaft 58 is secured in yoke 60 which is a part of the system which comprises the missile launching portion 16.

Support linkage 62 is a group of links and levers which are pivotally and slidably mounted with respect to each other and with respect to vehicle 12 so that at their upper end they provide pivot point 64 which is laterally rigid with respect to the vehicle and which is in axial alignment with the axis of jack screw 42. Thus, yoke 60 is pivotable on the vertical axis of jack screw 42. Since support shaft 58 is secured to both support bracket 56 and yoke 60, rotation of support bracket 56 about the axis of lead screw 42 causes rotation of yoke 60 about that axis.

Interconnection between driving yoke 46 and support bracket 56 about the axis of jack screw 42 is accomplished by pin 66 interengaging with latch pin 68. Pin 66 is the pivot pin upon which link 50 is pivoted at its lower end, and the outer end of pin 66 carries a flat thereon. Additionally, latch pin 68 is axially slidably movable in arm 70 of support bracket 56. One or preferably, both of these pins are equipped with permanent magnets so they are locked together when in the face to face position. Solenoid '72 is arranged so that upon actuation of the solenoid latch pin 68 is withdrawn from interengagement with pin 66 so that driving yoke 46 and support bracket 56 are free to relatively rotate upon the axis of jack screw 42. However, when pin 66 and latch pin 68 are interengaged the permanent magnets on one or both of them cause locking together so that driving yoke 46 and support bracket 56 rotate together on the axis of the jack screw to rotate yoke 60 on this axis in accordance with azimuthal motion of sight 20.

Bellcrank 74 is pivotally mounted on arm 70 on the axis of solenoid 72. This axis is also axially aligned with the pivot points at the lower ends of links 48 and 50 when latch pin 68 is engaged with pin 66. Universal joint 54 carries pin 76 on the outer end thereof, and this pin interengages with latch pin 78 on one arm of the bellcrank. When energized, solenoid 80 retracts latch pin 78 to disconnect latch pin 78 from pin 76. However, when they are in the engaged position, bellcrank 74 is locked to rotate with link 50. When they are disengaged, the bellcrank is free to move from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 4.

Connecting rod 82 is pivotally mounted on the other arm of bellcrank 74 and extends upward to pivot in the outer end of crank 84. Crank 84, in turn, is pivotally mounted upon pivot pin 86 which passes through one arm of yoke 60, and is secured in one side of U-shaped bracket 88. The other side of U-shaped bracket 88 is pivoted coaxially with pivot pin 86 in the other arm of yoke 60. Thus, upon rotation of link 50 on its axis, when latch pin 78 is engaged with pin 76, crank 84 and bracket 88 also rotate. In view of the identical link lengths in the various pairs of crank arms, angular rotation of bracket 88 in the elevational direction is the same as that of sight 20.

Missile firing tube 90 is of the type that serves as a storage and transportation container for the missile, and thus is disposable after missile firing. Accordingly, firing tube 90 is strapped into bracket 88 by quick disconnect clamp 92 which also serves to make any necessary electrical connections. However, if desired, the missile firing tube 90 may be of permanent nature and may be secured semipermanently in bracket 88. Furthermore, any type of gun can be placed in bracket 88 providing there is capability in sight 20 for making allowances for trajectory drop and windage if the projectile is not steerable in flight.

In operation, firing tube 90, with its missile container therein, is positioned in bracket 88 in the elevated and ready position shown in FIG, '2. Sighting is performed by gunner 26 with azimuth directing of firing tube 90 accomplished by azimuthal swinging of sight 20 about its azimuth bearing 32. These azimuthal changes are transmitted through connecting rods 38 and 40 to rotate driving yoke 46 on its axis. Through pin 66 and latch pin 68 this causes rotation of arm 70 and the rotational torque thereof is transmitted by support shaft 58 upward to rotate yoke 60 and bracket 88 carried thereby on the axis of pivot pin 64, which is the same axis as the axis of rotation of driving yoke 46 and support bracket 56.

Elevational sighting by rotation of handles 28 and 30 causes rotation of sight 20 in an elevational direction on axis 34. This rotates links 48 and 50, and with engagement of latch pin 78 with pin 76 causes rotation of crank arm 74. Through connecting rod 82, rotation of bellcrank 74 causes rotation of crank 84 and bracket 88 to thus cause elevational changes in direction of firing tube 90. The pointing accuracy of firing tube 90 with respect to the line of sight of sight 20 is suflicient so that when a missile is launched, the infrared sighting device 36 sees the missile in its field of view and can track its direction. During missile flight, such corrections as are necessary are signalled to the missile to maintain its path substantially along the line of sight dictated by the line of sight through the optical device.

After launch of the missile, there is no need to maintain the missile launching portion 16 in the raised, vulnerable and nonreloadable position. Thus, immediately after missile launch, solenoid 72 and 80 are actuated to cause both azimuthal and elevational unlatching, The natural center of gravity of the structure rotating about pivot pin 86 is such as to bring the rear end of the firing tube downward, as is shown in FIG. 4, which in turn causes latch pin 78 to swing away from pin 76. Thereupon, the motor driving jack screw 42 is actuated to screw support bracket 56 downwardly from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIG. 5. Support linkage 62 pivots so that .the entire structure up to bracket 88 is withdrawn below the top of the vehicle, through opening 14. At this point, clamp 92 is open and disposable firing tube 90 is tossed upward and out of the opening. The bracket 88 is ready to accept a new missile firing tube containing a missile. If refiring is desired, another such missile firing tube is loaded and the clamp closed. The motor rotating jack screw 42 is energized and the structure elevates to the position shown in FIG. 2. Thereupon, the loader swings the bracket 88 so that bellcrank 74 rotates and the latches are interengaged to hold the bracket 88 in the position shown in FIG. 2. Latch pin 68 engages with pin 66 by manual rotation of support bracket 56. Thereupon, the new missile is ready for firing. Thus, the missile launching portion can be disconnected and withdrawn, with the hatches closed on opening 14 or reloaded, while the previous missile is in flight.

It is understood that the term missile used with respect to this invention implies any kind of structure which is propelled through the air, either by propulsion means on the missile or by explosive charges in a gun tube from which the missile is projected. Thus, the invention is directed to a structure for initial direction of missile sight, irrespective of future control thereover after it is in flight.

This invention having been described in its preferred embodiment, it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments within the ability of those skilled in the art and without the exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A missile launcher sighting mechanism mounted upon a frame, said mechanism comprising a sighting device rotatably mounted on said frame for rotation about elevational and azimuthal axes at right angles to each other;

a raising means mounted on said frame, said raising means comprising a jackscrew rotatable with respect to said frame on an axis substantially parallel to the azimuthal axis of rotation of said sighting device;

a driving yoke rotatably mounted upon the axis of said jackscrew, first and second links rotatably mounted on said driving yoke on an axis parallel to the elevational axis of said sighting device, connecting rods connecting said sighting device and said links so that said links move in correspondence with elevational and azimuthal motion of the sighting device;

a support bracket connected to said jackscrew to be raised and lowered by rotation of said jackscrew, a support shaft secured to said support bracket and extending upwardly, a support yoke secured to the top of said support shaft so that said support yoke rotates on an azimuthal axis with said support bracket, missile-launching means pivotally mounted on said support yoke on an elevational axis;

latching means between said connecting rods and said support bracket so that, when said support bracket is in its raised position and said latching means is connected, said support bracket rotates on its azimuthal axis with said driving yoke;

a link rotatably mounted on said support bracket for rotation about an elevational axis, latching means on said link for latching engagement with one of said connecting rods, an interconnecting rod engaged between said link and said missile-launching means so that, when said interconnecting device is engaged, said missile-launching device rotates on an elevational axis with rotation of said sighting device on an elevational axis.

2. A missile-sighting mechanism, including a sighting device mounted on a frame for rotation about elevational and azimuthal axes;

raising means mounted on said frame, a support bracket mounted on said raising means for raising and lowering motion with respect to said frame by operation of said raising means;

a yoke mounted on said support bracket for rotation about an azimuthal axis with said support bracket; missile-launching means mounted on said yoke for rotation on said yoke about an elevational axis;

means interconnected between said sighting device, said support bracket and said missile-launching means including a latch for rotating said support bracket and said missile-launching means on an azimuthal axis with rotation of said sighting device on an azimuthal axis and for rotating said missile-launching means about its elevational axis with rotation of said sighting device about its elevational axis when said support bracket is in its raised position and said latch is latched;

said latch being disconnected when said support bracket is in its lowered position so that said sighting device can move independently of said missile-launching means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,335,286 11/1943 Klemperer et al 8941.61 3,316,808 5/1967 Mais 8937X 3,424,052 1/1969 Ruf 350-302X 499,532 6/1893 Fletcher 8941.6 1,398,688 11/1921 Hamilton 3349X 2,360,850 10/ 1944 Colby 3348 3,263,567 8/1966 Sandahl 8941.6

FOREIGN PATENTS 892,845 5/1944 France 33-48 448,250 6-/ 1936 Great Britain 89--37.5 459,337 1/ 1937 Great Britain 8937.5 574,117 12/1945 Great Britain 33--49.1

PAUL R. GILLIAM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 89-41 

